While the Elizabethan/Jacobean playwright WilliamShakespeare has had a long influence on the names of children, his Restoration successors haven’t had as much impact on the name game. But when looking through character lists of these Restoration comedies, written between 1660-1710, there are some fabulous names to be found, some that have been heard of since, like Amanda, Julia and Sylvia, and some that are extremely rare. Here are thirteen of the more interesting feminine names from the most popular Restoration comedies of the day.

Amaryllis – As seen in 1671’s The Rehearsal, which was published anonymously, though prominent courtier, GeorgeVilliers, 2ndDuke of Buckingham, was most likely the writer. The name Amaryllis is of Greek origin and means ‘to sparkle’.